The Death of a Champion The Final Goodbye
by TheLadySongSerenade
Summary: No- this is not another version of Alanna’s unfortunate death. I’ll have you remember there were King’s Champions before Alanna! This is about... well, read it- I'm not gonna tell you!


The Death of a Champion- The Final Goodbye

**No- this is not another version of Alanna's unfortunate death. I'll have you remember there were King's Champions before Alanna!**

**Disclaimer: the characters belong to Tamora Pierce!!! Can't say I didn't tell you so!**

"Gary." Gary shrugged off his friends' hands.

"Darling," Cythera took her husband's face in her hands. "Gary."

Gary turned his head to the side.

"Gareth," Cythera's voice took on a commanding, no nonsense tone. "Look at me."

Reluctantly, Gary turned and looked his wife in the eye. "Yes?"

A wave of sadness broke over Cythera's face at her husband's cold, heartbroken demeanor. "Oh, my darling," she murmured, taking him into her arms. "There was nothing you could do, Gary. There was nothing anyone could do."

Jonathan came up to his old friend and his cousin. "Gary," he said. When Gareth made to stand and bow, Jonathan forced him down. "No, cousin, there is no need for that." After Lady Cythera had gotten her husband settled again, he spoke, "It was his time Gary, no one stands in the way of the Black God." Turning, he spoke to the people gathered in the chapel. "Sir Gareth the Elder, the late Duke of Naxen now rests in the hands of the Black God. May he find rest and peace in the Peaceful Realms."

Gareth the younger, the new Duke of Naxen rose stiffly. "Thank you, your majesties, everyone, for coming to pay your respects to my father. I am sure if he could, he would be here thanking you all personally."

Alanna was the next to come up to the coffin where the body of her old training master lay. She was crying silently into her handkerchief, George's comforting arm around her shoulders. "Good bye, sir," she whispered. "It has been an honor to- to serve you."

"Thank you," George spoke next. "Thank you for training my lass so well so she could defend herself in her way of life. I am forever in your debt."

Alanna cried even more as she hugged her grieving old friend. "He was wonderful, Gary. We'll all miss him so much."

George kissed Lady Cythera on the cheek as his wife hugged the lady's husband. "We feel your loss, my lady."

"Thank you, Baron, Lady Knight," Cythera thanked on behalf of both of her and her husband. "Your presence is a great honor to him."

Alanna had regained a fragile control over herself. "The honor is all ours, my lady."

Alanna hugged Gary's wife and she and George took their leave.

The next to appear was Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and his wife, Buriram. They were both dressed in black and had the appearance of those who have cried long and hard. Together they bowed to the late Duke's coffin. Straightening, they turned to the deceased's children.

"Gary," Raoul and Gary hugged, the two of them consoling each other as they cried.

Buri hugged Cythera gently. Despite the fact that the two women had never gotten along well thanks to Cythera's conservative views, they were weeping and clinging to each other like they had been best friends their whole lives.

"Thank you for coming," Cythera intoned in a dead voice. "Father would have appreciated it."

Slowly, one by one, all of the realm's most famous to least famous and most infamous gathered to pay their respects to the late duke. Finally, at long last, they lowered his body into the ground, all those assembled and several priests of the Black God praying for his safe passage to the Peaceful Realms.

Gary, Gareth the Younger, the new Duke of Naxen, watched with a dead look and a heavy heart as his father disappeared from sight. When the grave was covered over, the people began dispersing, though a few lingered.

In the end, Gary, Jonathan, Alanna, Raoul, Myles, and their spouses were the only ones left at the burial site. Cythera shivered in the cold air. Shaken from his stupor, Gary looked at his wife with concern. "Cythera," his voice cracked and he tried again. "Cythera, darling, we should go inside where it is warmer. Come, my dear."

Alanna spoke quietly. "Yes," she agreed. "We should all be going inside before we freeze."

Despite this, though Myles and Eleni, George, Cythera, Buri, and Thayet turned to leave, the four friends lingered. Alanna hesitated, knelt, laid her sword before her, then retrieved it as she stood, hurrying over to George, trying to hide the new wave of tears streaming down her face. Raoul looked after Alanna before copying her actions. He dawdled a moment more, before clapping Gary's shoulder and walking slowly back to the group waiting at the entrance.

Jonathan watched the two knights go and watched his cousin with concern. He opened his mouth to say something then thought better of it and shut it. With a low, deep bow to his uncle's grave, he nodded to Gary, knowing the his cousin wanted to be alone for at least a few minutes, and went to stand at Thayet's side.

Throughout all this, Gary didn't look up once. His gaze trained on the place where his father was laid to rest. "Gods all bless," he murmured. "Goodbye, Father."

Gary turned around. He was his friends and his wife, seemingly being held back by Buri as she gazed at him with concern, trying to reach him. He gave her a small, reassuring smile. He was alright. He had to be alright. He would be alright. He'd given his father his final goodbye.

**Authors Note: There may be a few things wrong here. Were they buried in the catacombs under the castle/palace or what? I don't know… I think I may have gotten that part wrong though. I kinda switched it from a burial ground to a tomb sort of thing to the cemetery again. So it might be a little messed up. Sorry! Please review!!!! I will love you forever and ever if you review (or something like that).**


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